A list of inspired and non-inspired books mentioned in the Bible that are not part of our canon.

[James47]

Introduction:
1. There are quite a few inspired books referenced in the Bible that we do not possess today because the Holy Spirit realized we did not need them as part of the canon.
2. There are also a number of uninspired books references or even quoted in the Bible.

I. Uninspired civil and historical record books mentioned or quoted in the Bible:

1. The Book of Wars of the Lord: "Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord," Num. 21:14
2. The Book of Jasher: "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day." Joshua 10:13
3. The annals of Jehu: "Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first to last, behold, they are written in the annals of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel." 2 Chronicles 20:34
4. The treatise of the book of the Kings: "As to his sons and the many oracles against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place." 2 Chronicles 24:27
5. The record book of records, Book of the Chronicles of Ahasuerus: "Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the Book of the Chronicles in the king's presence." ... "During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king." Esther 2:23; 6:1
6. The Acts of Solomon: "Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?" 1 Kings 11:41
7. The Sayings of Hozai: "His prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the Hozai." 2 Chronicles 33:19
8. The Chronicles of David: "Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count them, but did not finish; and because of this, wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not included in the account of the chronicles of King David." 1 Chronicles 27:24
9. Jude quotes from two uninspired books that were widely read during the first century:
10. 1. Testament of Moses: in Jude 9

• i. "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”" (Jude 9)
• ii. The Testament of Moses was written about 10 AD and it Correctly predicted Jesus would come in 29 AD based upon the chronology of the Septuagint (LXX) and the prophecies of Dan 9:24 (70 weeks = 490 years) and Dan 2 that the kingdom of God would come during the 4th (Roman) empire.
• iii. The Testament of Moses, also known as the Assumption of Moses, is not inspired.

1. 1. The book of Enoch: in Jude 14

• iv. Enoch lived before the flood but the book of Enoch dates to about 150 BC and many fragments of the book have been discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• v. "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones"" Jude 14, see also Gen 5:18, 21ff
• vi. It is important to differentiate between that man Enoch the prophet and the uninspired pseudepigraphal book of Enoch of 150 BC.

II. Bible quotations of oral prophecies by inspired prophets, for which we have no other record:

• 1. The prophet Enoch:
• a. Enoch lived before the flood but the book of Enoch dates to about 150 BC and many fragments of the book have been discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• b. "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones"" Jude 14, see also Gen 5:18, 21ff
• c. It is important to differentiate between that man Enoch the prophet and the uninspired pseudepigraphal book of Enoch of 150 BC.
• d. The oral or written prophecies of Enoch who lived before the flood must have been recorded by a later prophet of the Bible and the information passed into oral tradition.
• e. It is very unlikely if not impossible to think that Enoch’s oral or prophecies from before the flood survived down to the first century.

III. Inspired books mentioned in the Bible that are not part of our canon:

1. The Chronicles of Samuel, Nathan, Gad: "Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the chronicles of Gad the seer" 1 Chronicles 29:29
2. Samuels book: "Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and placed it before the Lord." 1 Samuel 10:25
3. The records of Nathan the prophet: "Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?" 2 Chronicles 9:29
4. The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite: "Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?" 2 Chronicles 9:29
5. The Treatise of the Prophet Iddo: "Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in the treatise of the prophet Iddo." 2 Chronicles 13:22
6. Paul's inspired letter to the church at Laodicea: "When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea." Colossians 4:16 (Since three early manuscripts do not contain the words "at Ephesus" in Eph 1:1, some have speculated that the letter coming from Laodicea was in fact the letter of Ephesians. Apostolic Fathers also debated this possibility.)
7. Paul's first letter to Corinth, that predated the present "1 Corinthians"? "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people" (1 Corinthians 5:9) (This could merely be a reference to the present letter of 1 Corinthians.)

IV. Genuine divine books mentioned in the Bible located in the heavens:

1. The Book of Remembrance: "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name." Malachi 3:16
2. The Book of Life: Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 20:12; 22:19
3. The Book of Judgment: Dan. 7:10; Rev. 20:12
4. The book with seven seals: "I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals." Revelation 5:1
5. Book in angel's hand: Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land." Revelation 10:8

V. Bible quotations of secular, uninspired writings:

1. Uninspired Athenian poet: "for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'" Acts 17:28

By Steve Rudd:​

 

[MsMediator]

What is the difference between inspired and uninspired books?

 

[James47]

What is the difference between inspired and uninspired books?

Inspired simply meaning God inspired and use for teaching and Godly wisdom the other man is inspired . like hstorical records etc

 

[soberxp]

I think one of the big reasons the Book of Enoch was left out of the Bible was that unbelievers would have a dedicated living area after death, and then that might not be in line with what the New Testament of the Bible advocates, even if what it describes is true about what happened before the Great Flood.

But I think that may have limited the power of God,People use their imagination to limit the power of God.

People always think that only their own special things are good.It was as if salvation were only for him, such is the selfish nature.

As the Quran says, Jews and Christians are delusional in thinking that only they can be saved.(I know what I'm talking about. We don't have to argue about ignorance and prejudice, okay？)

God wants to save everyone, but people only want to save themselves.

 

[persistent]

But I think that may have limited the power of God,People use their imagination to limit the power of God.

521 soberxp>>>This link tells what limits the power of God. It is a quite a bit to read. The person who wrote it died around 1911. Reading the first few paragraphs will probably give the main points or jump to different verses further in the commentary. Maybe 6:5 section I
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/maclaren/mark/6.htm

 

[wattie]

Isn't there also other books, such as the gospel of the cross, where the cross actually starts speaking and the gospel of Thomas plus others?

I think these get put in the 'nostic' gospels.


They are written long after the events and people they are about, are not eye witness testimony and have exaggeration and myth.

 

[swatfrog]

Isn't there also other books, such as the gospel of the cross, where the cross actually starts speaking and the gospel of Thomas plus others?

I think these get put in the 'nostic' gospels.


They are written long after the events and people they are about, are not eye witness testimony and have exaggeration and myth.

yes theres a list ,but not one of them is scripture,hence why they are not in the bible. even in the 1611 KJV the books of the Apocrypha were sandwiched between the OT and the NT. the books that are supposed to be there are ,and the ones that are not are not,unless you believe that the GOD we serve is so vast and great that He cant preserve His word...God forbid!

 

[wattie]

yes theres a list ,but not one of them is scripture,hence why they are not in the bible. even in the 1611 KJV the books of the Apocrypha were sandwiched between the OT and the NT. the books that are supposed to be there are ,and the ones that are not are not,unless you believe that the GOD we serve is so vast and great that He cant preserve His word...God forbid!

Yeah.. canon was authoritative and accepted before being called as such. It wasn't men who selected them out.. they were that compellingly authoritative it was obvious.

 

[Inquisitor]

Introduction:
1. There are quite a few inspired books referenced in the Bible that we do not possess today because the Holy Spirit realized we did not need them as part of the canon.
2. There are also a number of uninspired books references or even quoted in the Bible.

I. Uninspired civil and historical record books mentioned or quoted in the Bible:

1. The Book of Wars of the Lord: "Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord," Num. 21:14
2. The Book of Jasher: "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day." Joshua 10:13
3. The annals of Jehu: "Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first to last, behold, they are written in the annals of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel." 2 Chronicles 20:34
4. The treatise of the book of the Kings: "As to his sons and the many oracles against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place." 2 Chronicles 24:27
5. The record book of records, Book of the Chronicles of Ahasuerus: "Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the Book of the Chronicles in the king's presence." ... "During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king." Esther 2:23; 6:1
6. The Acts of Solomon: "Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?" 1 Kings 11:41
7. The Sayings of Hozai: "His prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the Hozai." 2 Chronicles 33:19
8. The Chronicles of David: "Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count them, but did not finish; and because of this, wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not included in the account of the chronicles of King David." 1 Chronicles 27:24
9. Jude quotes from two uninspired books that were widely read during the first century:
10. 1. Testament of Moses: in Jude 9

• i. "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”" (Jude 9)
• ii. The Testament of Moses was written about 10 AD and it Correctly predicted Jesus would come in 29 AD based upon the chronology of the Septuagint (LXX) and the prophecies of Dan 9:24 (70 weeks = 490 years) and Dan 2 that the kingdom of God would come during the 4th (Roman) empire.
• iii. The Testament of Moses, also known as the Assumption of Moses, is not inspired.

1. 1. The book of Enoch: in Jude 14

• iv. Enoch lived before the flood but the book of Enoch dates to about 150 BC and many fragments of the book have been discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• v. "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones"" Jude 14, see also Gen 5:18, 21ff
• vi. It is important to differentiate between that man Enoch the prophet and the uninspired pseudepigraphal book of Enoch of 150 BC.

II. Bible quotations of oral prophecies by inspired prophets, for which we have no other record:

• 1. The prophet Enoch:
• a. Enoch lived before the flood but the book of Enoch dates to about 150 BC and many fragments of the book have been discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• b. "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones"" Jude 14, see also Gen 5:18, 21ff
• c. It is important to differentiate between that man Enoch the prophet and the uninspired pseudepigraphal book of Enoch of 150 BC.
• d. The oral or written prophecies of Enoch who lived before the flood must have been recorded by a later prophet of the Bible and the information passed into oral tradition.
• e. It is very unlikely if not impossible to think that Enoch’s oral or prophecies from before the flood survived down to the first century.

III. Inspired books mentioned in the Bible that are not part of our canon:

1. The Chronicles of Samuel, Nathan, Gad: "Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the chronicles of Gad the seer" 1 Chronicles 29:29
2. Samuels book: "Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and placed it before the Lord." 1 Samuel 10:25
3. The records of Nathan the prophet: "Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?" 2 Chronicles 9:29
4. The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite: "Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?" 2 Chronicles 9:29
5. The Treatise of the Prophet Iddo: "Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in the treatise of the prophet Iddo." 2 Chronicles 13:22
6. Paul's inspired letter to the church at Laodicea: "When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea." Colossians 4:16 (Since three early manuscripts do not contain the words "at Ephesus" in Eph 1:1, some have speculated that the letter coming from Laodicea was in fact the letter of Ephesians. Apostolic Fathers also debated this possibility.)
7. Paul's first letter to Corinth, that predated the present "1 Corinthians"? "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people" (1 Corinthians 5:9) (This could merely be a reference to the present letter of 1 Corinthians.)

IV. Genuine divine books mentioned in the Bible located in the heavens:

1. The Book of Remembrance: "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name." Malachi 3:16
2. The Book of Life: Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 20:12; 22:19
3. The Book of Judgment: Dan. 7:10; Rev. 20:12
4. The book with seven seals: "I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals." Revelation 5:1
5. Book in angel's hand: Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land." Revelation 10:8

V. Bible quotations of secular, uninspired writings:

1. Uninspired Athenian poet: "for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'" Acts 17:28

By Steve Rudd:​

Paul's two missing letters are two letters I wish were never lost.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

What is the difference between inspired and uninspired books?

yeah I was wondering how that determination was made on the op also

 

[Pilgrimshope]

Paul's two missing letters are two letters I wish were never lost.

have you read the apocalypse of Paul ? It’s an interesting read it claims to be what Paul saw being caught up to heaven as he mentions “ knowing a man who was caught up to the third heaven and saw unspeakable things not lawful to utter “

Its interesting for sure but I can’t tell you about it’s authenticity worth reading though I’d say

 

[JonathanBentley]

I've always wondered about these books when reading the Bible. Good post.

 

[Inquisitor]

have you read the apocalypse of Paul ? It’s an interesting read it claims to be what Paul saw being caught up to heaven as he mentions “ knowing a man who was caught up to the third heaven and saw unspeakable things not lawful to utter “

Its interesting for sure but I can’t tell you about it’s authenticity worth reading though I’d say

Read it.

I would reject it.

 

[The_Watchers_2017]

What is the difference between inspired and uninspired books?

Since a PAGAN made the decision absolutely nothing.

But some are obvious enough they don't belong but many are factual historical records that actually are both helpful and quite valuable.

 

[Lanolin]

apochrypha like The book of Jubilees. They are in catholic bibles that have the extra books. I dont think they are referenced in other parts of the Bible though

 

[Lanolin]

1 and 2 Maccabees as well.

 

[Nehemiah6]

What is the difference between inspired and uninspired books?

Very simple. Inspired books were authored by God the Holy Spirit no matter who was the writer.

It was Christ Himself who rejected all the books of the OT Apocrypha when He identified the Scriptures as (1) the Law of Moses (5 books), (2) the Prophets (8 books), and the Psalms (11 books) for a total of 24 books in the Hebrew Tanakh (OT).

It was only because of the corrupt Greek translation of the OT (the Septuagint or LXX) that all the apocryphal books were included. Then the Catholic and Orthodox churches decided to accept some of them as "Scripture".

 

[Pilgrimshope]

Read it.

I would reject it.

yeah a lot of people would and others would think it’s genuine that’s sort of the thing if i reject something , that isn’t the defining factor whether it’s true or not

aim wondering who gets to define which ancient writings purporting to be of God are genuine and which aren’t ?

that’s why I personally stick to the Bible because of the harmony, but there’s alot of interesting reading out there also for people to consider and either reject or believe

also a lot of writings pertaining to the history of Israel are interesting

 

[TheLearner]

I remember reading somewhere that missing inspired books were included as part of the texts we have. Part of Paul's letter's are in the two of Corinth we have today.

 

[oyster67]

I have read (listened) to the Books of Enoch recently.

Definitely not necessary reading to gain an understanding of the Gospel, but does contain much prophecy that lines up with the Canonical Bible. Jude did indeed quote from the book (not just the man.)

Lots of dire warnings to sinners towards the end of the Book (books - there are six).
It prophecies of both the Flood and the Latter-Day judgements. It appears that Enoch was give foreknowledge of his translation and given just enough time to record God's message. Much was addressed to Methuselah and Noah is mentioned.